Campus universities

[PinaColadaBaby]

I know most universities have a campus of sorts but DD is looking for a traditional campus university - where all the teaching, 1st year accommodation and sport are in one place. So, by this criterion, Leicester and Leeds for example are not campus, whereas Nottingham is.

Traditional campus universities that occur to me: Nottingham, Birmingham, Exeter, Warwick, Essex, York. Do you know of any others please?

As I mentioned upthread, I grew up in Stirling, which has a full campus University, built in the late 60s/early 70s, modernist buildings on a beautiful landscaped campus with woods and a loch, with the Ochil hills in the background and a view across to the castle from the high points. It has a central theatre area that is the only proper theatre venue for the whole town. All sports and accommodation is on site, though mature students with families and older students do live out in their later years (my Mum was the accommodation officer there for years). Local people use a lot of the sports facilities there too. It’s a bit light on decent shops but when I was a child the campus branch of Bank of Scotland had one of the first ATMs in the area and my Gran used to take me there to help her get money out of the “magic machine”.

So that was my image of what a University was like. It kind of blew my mind when I started to look at other ones for myself and found that their buildings were scattered through towns and there wasn’t really a clear answer to the question “Where is the University?”.

Dd ended up choosing between Bristol and Warwick for her firm choice. A family friend who went to Bristol said she wished she had gone to a campus uni as she was put in halls miles away from her labs with a daily 9 am start and she hated it. I guess you've got the rest of your life to commute. Dd is very happy at Warwick.

Just to add. Each to their own! There isn't one option which is superior out of campus or town uni. It depends what you want and whether the other attributes of the uni suit you

That’s true @ChestnutGrove. My DN visited Bristol with his family and hated it - far too sprawling. Glad your DD happy at Warwick but don’t they all have to commute quite a way in second and third years?

York - used to be the archetypal roll out of bed and into your lecture venue. Lecture theatres literally in the residential colleges.
Keele
Hull
Warwick, surely?
Essex
Kent
Sussex and Surrey, I believe
UEA

The 'plate glasses of the 60s are often real campuses.

It depends where they want to live in the second year. Some apply to stay in halls as warwick is well off for halls. Some live very near the uni in private halls. Some live in private rented in Canley just on the edge of the campus. Some choose to live in the Earlsdon area of Coventry and get the bus in (dd.) Some like Leamington Spa and choose to live there and get the bus or drive in. Plenty of choice and no they don't all have to commute quite a way.

Oh, whoops.

Also Bath!

(and Stirling obviously)

Aberystwyth.

I can probably keep going!

The private halls near Warwick campus are called Vita, Westwood student mews, Student roost -The Oaks, Signature and Canley student living. Dd has gone for a cheap option of a private rental in Earlsdon

Yes definitely somewhere for everyone. Dd visited Warwick and hated it, but loves Bristol!

@PinaColadaBaby
Bristol university is mostly at Clifton. Sprawling it isn’t. You can live and study in Clifton for all of your degree if you choose. Your department will not be sprawling (you might learn in two of course!) and you don’t go to all of the others! You can also opt to live in Stoke Bishop or the city centre both of which are a short bus ride away. All halls in each area are quite close to each other. In 2nd year onwards, many students live close to their department in Clifton . DD had less than a 10 minute walk to her department for 2 years. So although it’s not campus, from 2nd year onwards it is often far more convenient than many campus universities where accommodation is off campus. Bristol is more convenient for years 2-3 than Warwick. I can assure you, you haven’t been given accurate information about Bristol. Which my DD also loved!

“So although it’s not campus, from 2nd year onwards it is often far more convenient than many campus universities where accommodation is off campus.”

hadn’t thought about that @TizerorFizz - thx. Interesting and valid food for thought

ooooh Aber is an intriguing one @Piggywaspushed - people love or hate apparently. Sounds gorgeous to me but high risk unless u have visited (popular insurance choice mind you)

Bristol is more convenient for years 2-3 than Warwick. I can assure you, you haven’t been given accurate information about Bristol
As per my previous posts on this thread in years 2-3 at Warwick you can either apply to live on campus again. They are well off for halls. Or apply to live in the various new private halls very close to campus that I listed in my previous posts. Or rent privately in Canley, very close to Campus. Private rent in the Earlsdon area of Coventry. Or live in Leamington Spa if you want to.

Thanks @chestnutgrove - I hear you. Friend’s DD lived in Leamington Spa in years 2 and 3 coz it was buzzing - and sucked up 30-40 min bus with no regrets. Private halls strike me as a bit sterile/institutional compared to house share - but horses for courses x

That’s weird. I lived in leamington spa as a non student and certainly wouldn’t describe it as is “buzzing” with students. I mean yes there are students there from the university but it’s a small town some way apart from Coventry.

Hmm. Leamington Spa “buzzing”? Not from what I know. Agree a student House is way more fun for y2 onwards.

Glad your friend's dd had fun op. Definitely best to get opinions from people who attended a uni or their parents.

Lancaster as come 85th for modern languages in the world latest QS rankings.

So that's out of 1,500 institutions.

May or may not be of relevance to decision making!

Bath has a beautiful green campus and is the safest campus in the UK and very friendly.

@RandomMess
Makes virtually no impact on uk employers. It’s pretty meaningless for MFL. Bath MFL
is very business driven. It’s not the same as other top universities. Students are largely safe everywhere!

Lincoln
My eldest is there and they have accommodation for all years in uni halls and private halls all on campus. He's in private as it's cheaper but nicer and yet still directly opposite the student union and library!

Lincoln is not a campus uni as described in the OP!

There are two sets of accommodation on the very small campus. The rest are close but not on campus (Valentine Court is a 20 minute walk, for example), there is no green space and the sports pitches are not on campus either

I think it's a nice compact uni but it doesn't fit the bill as described by the OP.

I have a DC there too. It's the uni I described upthread (or actually possibly on the other campus thread!) as having nowhere to have a kickabout with mates.

Cheap though!

Many of these campus universities (Aberystwyth, Bath, Kent, Keele and others) are on top of big hills outside the towns/cities where students would generally live after first year. So there is often the need either to get fit by walking or else get the bus every morning (or every morning that you have classes or want to work in the library/studio, at least). The journey home after classes is easy, though.

@POTC Does Lincoln do MFL degrees? Don’t think so. MFL is not available at lots of the post 92 universities.

Keele doesn’t either as far as I can see.

There are many more than 2 sets of accommodation on campus, Valentine Court is the absolute cheapest accommodation partly because it's further out! The sports ground is on campus, I'm a slow walker and it took me around 5 minutes max from the SU to get there, he is regularly out playing football so not sure why you think there's nowhere to have a kick about?
I don't know what they offer I'm afraid, just that it's a good selection as there are 6 of them from his small Suffolk school all there doing different degrees!